Healing Remedies with Natural and Organic Botanicals

Tag Archives: medicine

Our burn remedies contain a famous ancient Chinese herbal medicine for burns called Zi Cao Gen, or Purple Herb Root, along with other cooling herbs and pure essential oils of lavender. You can see that the root at the top right is truly a dark purple color, and the salve is a beautiful hue of red as a result.

inever had any type of sinus problems, live in new york and went to visit someone in the mountains, the air was colder and i felt something in the air get in my body and from then on i have been severly congested, cannot sleep at night, constantly blowing nose, mucous is white, no tinges of yellow or green, had some coughing not much, but when i did cough it was deep and some mucous came very minute amount of a yellow and green tinge looked up the causes for this and found stagnant yang qi, wind and dampness etc.

what can be reccommended, i am into acupunture and chinese herbs, tried the traditional but perhaps i will get some acupunture. what herbs can you reccommend, i need both nasal passages clear, it is either one or the other that is clear and it shifts from one nasal passage to another, thanks

Sounds like a Wind-Cold-Dampness Invasion; I would suggest that you consider a warm soup of broth with green onions and ginger. Pick up some mullein tea bags at your local health food store for the congestion. You could also dilute some cinnamon, lavender, and thyme essential oil in olive oil and add it to your bath (5% EO).

Can Kidney Yang Tonic help with hypothyroidism, after the thyroid has been removed?

That is an interesting question. In Chinese medicine, the “Kidney” is an energetic organ system relating to various functions, and the energetic channel that acupuncturists utilize and is also part of the system. Hypothyroidism is typically related to the Kidney Yang Deficiency in TCM, and if you have indications of Kidney Deficiency, than the tonics will be of benefit. Note that one indication, such as hypothyroidism, is not enough to make a diagnosis of Kidney Deficiency; you would have several that begin to form a pattern. Take care when utilizing a Kidney Yang tonic such as our Ancestor Treasure formula. What we typically do in clinic in this situation is utilize Yin Valley and Ancestor Treasurer formulas together. Please peruse the Yin/Yang article to understand how to balance Yin and Yang in the body, and why it is important.

My mother has chronic kidney disease and the doctor wants to do dialysis. They also said she has to much phosphorus in her body which limits her food choices. What vitamins/herbs would be good for her to take and to strengthen her kidney function.

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I have had the opportunity to assist quite a number of patients in clinic who were in kidney failure or approaching kidney failure, and they responded very well to acupuncture.

Supplements are another thing all together in this situation, as you never want to overstress the kidneys when they are failing; the time for herb tonics would be years before this stage when symptoms of imbalance begin to appear. I wish that I could pull some miracle out of my hat for you, but this has gone beyond a self treatment situation. You may be able to find a local licensed acupuncturist who also prescribes herbs who can work together with your mothers prescribing physician to work out a smart plan for her.

Making inquiries about herbal treatment for ibs. My daughter is 24 and has been suffering with diarrhea predominant IBS for about 3 years. We are not sure how it started, gastric flu or glandular fever but it is really ruining her life. Constantly worrying where the nearest toilet is. Symptoms are worse during the time she has her period and she gets very bloated.

Conventional western medicine has been less than useful so we would like to know if herbal remedies would help.

Hi,
We are certainly able to treat IBS effectively in clinic, and herbs are a big part of the treatment plan, but Chinese medicine addresses it many different ways; the ability to differentiate the individual’s imbalance is what makes TCM so effective. If your daughter is able to fill out the online evaluation form fully, I will try to help guide her.

Getting worse during her period could point to Liver Qi Stagnation, and the bloating could be Spleen Qi Deficiency. The diarrhea predominance in IBS often points to a condition called Damp Heat Draining down and we often use Peaceful Warrior and Restore the Middle Way formulas to address this.

I bought the peaceful warrior to detox the liver in the past what is the difference between Free and Easy Wanderer and Peaceful Warrior?

Our Peaceful Warrior formula is used to detox the Liver and contains several very bitter and cold herbs. Bitter herbs stimulate bile flow and removes “Toxic Heat” , or “Liver Fire”, according to Chinese medicine. A Liver Detox has its place, but is too cold energetically to use over a long period of time as it would disrupt the Yin/Yang balance of the body and possibly damage the Spleen. It should be limited to 2-4 months use, and should only be used once per year (ideally in the Spring as this is the Wood Element Season). Exposure to toxins is a common culprit with Liver Fire.

Our Free and Easy Wanderer formula is more neutral (not so cold) and can be taken over a longer period of time to soothe Liver Qi Stagnation. Liver Qi Stagnation is a much more common condition; very few patients come in to clinic without an element of Liver imbalance in the states. Since anger and frustration can lead to Liver Qi Stagnation, it is no surprise that our stressed out society suffers from this condition.

Why is adrenal fatigue called “Kidney Deficiency” in Chinese medicine? I know the adrenals sit atop the kidney’s, but I have had my kidneys tested and they are fine.

Hi,

In Chinese medicine, organ systems encompass a complex functional system rather than just the organs themselves. Practitioners trained in Chinese medicine look for patterns of imbalance to determine the underlying “Root” causes that must be addressed in order to bring the body back in to balance. Within this system, the adrenals are part of the Kidney energetic system.

Moreover, the whole syndrome involved with adrenal fatigue, or adrenal exhaustion, points to the depletion of “Essence” that is stored in the Kidneys. Essence is also referred to as “Jing” and is a substance that must be protected and preserved in order to have a prolonged life of good health and wellness. One can have a genetic pre-disposition to an Essence Deficiency, or can burn through the available Essence through poor lifestyle habits; in our culture, the latter is more likely.

Because we are only allowed only a certain amount of Essence at birth, exhausting it can be devastating for our health. This is why those with adrenal fatigue have such a difficult time recovering, often suffering for many years if they do ever fully recover. It is much better to avoid adrenal exhaustion by moderating stress, sleeping well, and eating well, but if you have already been diagnosed with adrenal exhaustion than Kidney Tonic Herbs are one of the best ways to begin to restore your health.